The Dark Below

by WindigogoGadget

With You I Shatter Kingdoms.

Before its eyes laid the method to repay all of Equestria for the lifetimes of wrongdoing. With it, the club to shatter young and old, man and woman.

Envy did ignore the upper layers, and waited in its holy land of providence, the valley of blood and life. The mare of justice it had sent as an enforcer of law and order to preside thusly over Peace. The soul of a lunar demon that had been sent here to oblivion.

'Nightmare Moon'

It mattered not their name or title. They were free to call themselves as they pleased. Such a trivial thing did not matter anymore more. Nor was it their focus today. Enforcers now ruled the lands, policing everything and everywhere. One way or another, this land would be brought under order.

But this was not what heeded, instead it saw a method to escape.

Beasts, great enough to rival its glory. Four, designed and sculpted from the earth and the abyss, the dancer in the darkness; the soul, and flesh and blood.

These four beasts, the dancers in darkness- they were the answer to the violence that had been brought into their world. Each was designed to bring violence and destruction, to unleash carnage upon the lands. They would tear down palaces and raise up towers of bones. The kingdom would crumble beneath their feet and all would know fear and sorrow.

These beasts were born from chaos. From the darkness itself. And they would spread that darkness to the lands above, leaving no corner safe from their carnage.

Four sacred beasts- constructs to shatter kingdoms. Horsemen of the apocalypse. Bringers of death, famine, pestilence and war. The greatest knowledge had been unearthed at last from Envy's mind, and so had the greatest fear had come to past. The bringing of a great war. The greatest war that would ever grace this world.

Beasts with armaments that would bring forth the suns terrible wrath with an invisible, killing aura that would crash over the earth like tsunamis. Horns and wings in the dozens, great and terrible. These sacred beasts, bringers of the new world, were crafted to inspire fear and hope among their enemies and their allies. Black beasts like ink with great wings and twin heads, upon four hooves and a great mane of eyes.

There was one word that could only vaguely inspire their visage. Hecatoncari.

And now, those who had known peace for so long would now feel true suffering. All would feel the horrors of war. Their homes would be trampled, their crops destroyed and their loved ones killed in the crossfire. A world of bloody chaos and suffering would engulf the land. There would be no mercy, no escape.

The beasts would ravage the land and tear it down. All would fall to their might, all would know true fear and true sorrow. It was the beginning of the final countdown.

With them, they would tear down the cities, and crush the armies of Equestria, and from the ashes of Equus, a new world would be born. Evolved, but unchanged.

This was the destiny of their land.

The end of the old world and the beginning of a new.

They were the perfect soldiers. Without mercy, without remorse, without love nor attachment to the land they would bring chaos and destruction to. Nothing would matter to them nor bind them to this world or the next. They would be the perfect agents of destruction, without the slightest of attachments to their mission.

But they were incomplete, lacking in something most crucial. Though they could be commanded, they held no life, no soul. No heart was in their chests, no names to tie them down. Dogs without chains, horses without owners, pastors without dogma.

They were the end to all that would oppose them, and they were without leash.

And in that end, Envy did fear them. Not because they were stronger than their maker, but because it feared their potential. Their potential to devastate the world above was high, but without reigns, they would most surely destroy their kin, his ponies, his charges.

These four beasts were created with a purpose in mind. And fortunately, they would not operate without a pilot, a rider, a horseman.

In spite of this, Envy feared what it had created, and how it could destroy everything it had built. It was a necessary evil, these beasts. Without them, victory would not be possible. But they held the power to undo all that had been created.

And so, Envy grinned in bitter grief and woe, how had it come to this? The fruit of a poison tree had finally come to bear.

And there was no going back.

The seed of evil laid in its heart since its creation, and now it could not stop that sprout from growing. A poison tree was his heart, for he was the one who was spoken to of all the wrongs in this world and the one before- watered in misery.

It was born of violence like its brothers, and now that violence would be unleashed upon this world.

These are the consequences of it's actions. The consequences it must now face.

It would watch as the world was torn apart, and all that remained would be suffering and death.

It could do nothing but watch the flames of destruction rise from the ashes of what once was and hope that the future was one it could be proud of.

Envy could feel the weight of responsibility bearing down on them, but it could not stop.

Envy grinned in bitter grief and woe, how had it come to this?

These beasts were his warhammers, his tools of destruction and creation, masons of life and death. Heavy and powerful, stronger than his jaws. And he would prepare the beasts without name with a thought in mind. A curious one, a strange one.

Gently, he molded the abyssal flesh to create platforms, hollow shells and buildings across the back and neck of the winged beasts, cities empty and devoid lay across their shells like saddles. These ones, would be spared, these innocent souls would stare upon the destruction of their enemies, and rejoice.

A city of innocence in a sea of death. A refuge within a firestorm. An Ark at the end of the world.

Envy prepared a rein from the veins of the earth, and formed a saddle with love and care, the same of which he crafted the beasts from.

As the beasts carved a path of destruction through their foes, they would bring salvation to their kin. They would witness the destruction of all else, but the city would remain untouched. The people would be spared by the wrath of these beasts who had torn down their enemies, their world now theirs alone.

These beasts had no name, no consciousness- they were nothing but vessels. But even with that, he was careful in how he treated them. They were not merely instruments of destruction, but living beings- though twisted and corrupt. They were not simply weapons to be used and discarded.

They were his kin. They were his creations and he would treat them with respect and reverence, even if their purpose was to bring destruction and death. They would be the ones who would keep the innocent safe from the War, by beginning war.

Their charges were to be spared, and they and their charges and their kin would experience the destruction from the highest point, the eye of the storm, and watch justice be delivered. They would watch as the world beneath them tore itself apart, and they would be the only thing unscathed from the carnage.

The beasts were complete. The final pieces to this grand plan, this final game. The pieces were all assembled now, the final stage was set. The fate of this world would be decided soon.

Envy took command of the beasts. It prepared to unleash their power upon the lands.

The plan was simple; bring as much destruction and suffering as possible. Move the earth and shatter stone- repaint it with the vibrant colors of grief and blood.

The fate of the world rested in his claws.

The weight of the world.

They would be the agents of the apocalypse. And they would be the ones to decide the fate of this land.

And for now. It stayed its hand.

For now, they would remain here, under the supervision of their maker. The empty city on their back would remain untouched, and its future inhabitants spared.

These beings were created with a purpose, and they would serve that purpose. But for now, they would be slumbering here. Under the watchful eye of their master.

A weapon sharpened but not yet unleashed. And that was the worst part.

This was a weapon that had been made. And it couldn't be unmade.

Envy could shatter these husks without a second thought and go back like nothing ever happened. Until something inevitably would push him back to the idea.

This weapon- the concept- had been made, and there was no way to destroy an idea.

So the beasts did remain there until the time came for them to be wielded. And when that time came, there would be no mercy. The city would be spared, they would be spared the agony and pain of war and destruction that had tormented their forefathers. And for this, Envy was happy.

But that would not save the rest. Everything else would burn.

The beasts would destroy everything they could. The world as it existed now would end and be reborn into something different.

They would watch the events unfold and feel nothing. And Envy, Envy would wait. It would wait for the day when its weapon would be unleashed. The day when it could finally begin its assault on the lands above.

In that time it would prepare its city for the arrival of those who would be spared. It would protect and guide them through the dark days ahead.

It was the keeper of this weapon. The keeper of this city. And the protector of these beings who would watch from the skies as the world tore itself apart.

Author's Note:

ON THE BLOOD OF OUR FATHERS

ON THE BLOOD OF OUR SINS

Comments

[kvazar]

I remember our first meeting on the steps of the University... You were golden, lit from within by the glow of potential. Finally, my friend, I would see that potential realized. It is time to reclaim the world from your weakness. Meet your derelictions with blazing defiance! The Equation must be balanced. Gaze now upon your great achievement - the sumtotal of your failings. Your Body of Work.